Construction of 3D spinel binary metal oxide flower decorated 1D halloysite nanotube electrocatalyst for the selective detection of arsenic drug pollutant roxarsone

Abstract

Heavy metals, including arsenic (As), are categorized as a Group I toxic carcinogen and pose significant threats to the environment and habitats. Roxarsone (RXN) is an organoarsenic antibiotic drug commonly employed as a veterinary curative agent and growth promoter for poultry. Due to its widespread use, it substantially contributes to the accumulation of As in humans and ecosystems. Therefore, it is essential to monitor this potential drug in various real-world samples with high accuracy. Consequently, we have designed 3D zinc cobalt oxide (ZCO) with a 1D halloysite nanotube (HNT) based electrochemical sensor. The functional and morphological features of the electrocatalysts were evaluated with numerous analytic methods. The electrocatalytic property was investigated with different voltammetric measurements. Based on the outcomes, our ZCO/HNT-modified sensor displayed good linear ranges (0.01 to 127 μM and 127 μM to 1147 μM), low detection (1.6 nM), and quantification (5.2 nM) limits, optimal sensitivity (0.465 μA μM−1 cm−2), good selectivity, remarkable performance, and good stability results. Further, this sensor was applied to monitor RXN in various real-world samples and consequently, obtained the well-resolved results. Hence, our ZCO/HNT is an efficacious electrocatalyst for the precise detection of RXN.